Ironing cord holder



Aug. 9, 1955 2. w. DAVIS 2,715,002

IRONING CORD HOLDER Filed June 26. 1952 6 8 l9 I k 4 I I 3 6 l4 I3 I2 |a r4 i 2|- H lo FIG-3 l4 Z Te; '1 91 1 55 w w 5 a k l.l 1..1. }MU I 6 INVENTOR.

3 li/w ATTORNEYS United States Patent IRONING com) HOLDER Zean W. Davis, Plano, Ill., assignor to Davis Manufacturing Company, Plano, 111., a partnership consisting of Zean W. Davis and Dorothy E. Davis Application June 26, 1952, Serial No. 295,740

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-51) This invention relates generally to ironing cord holders.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an ironing cord holder embodying a mast for supporting the ironing cord, which mast is easily flexed to accommodate itself to the movements of the iron on the ironing board, and which flexibility is augmented by the use of an extension coil spring for supporting the mast, the mast being automatically self-restoring to a vertical position by virtue of its own resilience, aided by said spring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described, in which means are provided for permitting the mast to be folded down flat against the ironing board when the device is not in use, and which has also embodied therein means for locking said mast against such folding action when the device is in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having incorporated therein a clip which is shockless and provides a safe, positive grip on the cord, preventing wear of the cord due to sliding.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having incorporated therein a three-way electric outlet.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description. In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the ironing cord holder and use thereof, and showing also the manner of clamping same to an ironing board;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the cord holder will be seen to comprise a C-clamp 1 having a threaded bolt 2 whereby the holder may be removably clamped or secured to the rear portion of an ironing board 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

One arm 4 of the clamp is extended beyond the other arm of the clamp and to this extended portion is secured a swivel joint assembly consisting of a U-shaped element 5 having a stud 6 extending from the base thereof and into the arm 4 of the clamp, and a swivel 7 pivotally secured to the element 5, as by a rivet 8, and having a circular stud 9 extending therefrom, the stud 9 being normally in axial alignment with the stud 6.

In riveting or otherwise rigidly securing the stud 6 to the arm 4 of the clamp, the swivel element 5 is so oriented with respect to the arm 4 of the clamp that the axis of the rivet 8 is substantially parallel with the arm 4 and perpendicular to the rear edge 10 of the ironing board 3, for a purpose to be presently described.

The cord holder further includes an extension coil spring 11, the lower end of which is rigidly secured, as by brazing or welding, to the stud 9 of the swivel 7, and the upper end of which is similarly secured to a bushing 12, which, in turn, is rigidly secured to the lower end of a flexible rod or mast 13; preferably made of wire stock. The upper end of the spring 11, the bushing 12 and the lower end of the rod 13 are effectively concealed by a ferrule 14, which is rigidly secured to the upper convolutions of the spring 11.

The upper end of the rod 13 has secured thereto a plastic clamping element 15, which is slidable in a clip 16 having a hook-shaped upper end 17 which coacts with the upper end of the element 15 to clamp an ironing cord 18 therebetween, as shown in Fig. 1.

The element 15 is normally maintained in resilient engagement with the cord 18 by means of a compression coil spring 19 (Fig. 2), which is disposed about the rod 13 within the clip 16, the lower end of the spring 19 hearing on the lower end of the clip and the upper end of this spring bearing against a flange 20 formed as an in tegral part of the rod 13. The cord 18 may be released from the elements 15 and 16 by elevating the clip 16 against the pressure of the spring 19, thereby permitting the cord to be withdrawn from the clip. The clip 16 is also preferably made from complementary plastic parts which are united as by means of a plastic adhesive, such as acetone.

The swiveling of the elements 5 and 7 relatively to each other is prevented by means of a cylindrical metal sleeve 21, which normally occupies the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. With the sleeve in this position, the rod 13, which is highly flexible will bend, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1, to accommodate itself to the movements of the iron on the ironing board. This flexibility of movement is augmented by the fact that the rod 13 is secured to a spring 11, which, in itself flexes to an appreciable extent, as also indicated in Fig. 1. When the pull on the ironing cord 18 is relieved, the rod 13 is automatically restored by its own resilience to a vertical position, and this restoration is aided by the tendency of the spring 11 to restore itself to its normal vertical position.

The device, as thus described, is effective to hold the ironing cord out of the way and off the ironing board during use of the iron. The elements 16 and 17 form a shockless spring clip which provides a safe, positive grip on the cord to prevent wear of the cord due to sliding.

At the same time, it is unnecessary to remove the cord holder from the board after use thereof, because the holder may be folded downwardly fiat against the ironing board when not in use. For this purpose, the sleeve 21 is slid upwardly to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, after which the holder may be rotated about the axis of the rivet 8 to a position parallel to and against the board 3, as fragmentarily indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 3. By orienting the element 5 with respect to the arm 4 in such a manner that the axis of the rivet 8 is substantially parallel with the arm 4 and perpendicular to the rear edge 10 of the ironing board 3, the cord holder, when folded down against the board, will lie substantially parallel with said rear edge 10, so as to leave the upper surface of the board virtually unobstructed.

When it is desired to again use the cord holder, it is moved to its normal vertical position, after which the sleeve 21 is again slid downwardly against the arm 4 of the clamp, thereby positively locking the holder in place and against folding when in use.

As an added convenience a three-way outlet 22 is secured to the cord 18 and is bolted to the base of the clamp 1, so as to provide an outlet 23 to the iron, an

outlet 24 to a radio set, and an outlet 25 to a floor lamp or the like.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a prefer-red example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an ironing cord holder of the type comprising a clamp adapted to be clamped to an ironing board, a mast extending from said clamp and having means at one end thereof for clamping an ironing cord thereto, and an extension coil spring having one end connected to the other end of said mast; the combination with said holder of swivel joint means connecting said clamp to the other end of said coil spring and operable to hold the mast in :either a substantially horizontal or substantially vertical position, said joint means consisting of two parts, one of which comprises a vertically-extending fork member rigidly connected to said clamp and the other of which comprises an elongated member having a plate-like portion pivotally received in said fork :member, and a sleeve slidable over said member and effec tive, when in that position, to prevent pivoting of said parts relatively to each other, and slidable over said coil spring and when in that position, permitting such pivoting.

2. Swivel joint means, as defined in claim 1, in which said sleeve, when in its first-named position, surrounds the lower portion of said coil spring.

3. Swivel joint means, as defined in claim 1, in which the lower end of the mast is spaced a substantial distance from said elongated member of the swivel joint, whereby a considerable degree of flexing of the mast relatively to said elongated member is permitted by said spring, said sleeve, when in its first-named position, not interfering with said flexing, and when in its secondnamed position, being disposed at a point intermediate the ends of the spring so as not to interfere with said flexing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 884,105 Ryerson Apr. 7, 1908 1,348,476 Cahn Aug. 3, 1920 1,759,417 'Rabsiber May 20, 1930 1,774,742 Ash Sept. 2, 1930 1,999,089 Dowden Apr. 23, 1935 2,027,085 Brashears Jan. 7, 1936 2,047,060 Craig July '7, 1936 2,125,188 Lieberman July 26, 1938 2,174,609 Waage Oct. 3, 1939 2,271,463 Reeves Jan. '27, 1942 2,478,498 Meyers Aug. 9, 1949 2,546,589 Felts Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 660,649 Great Britain of 1951 

